Nearly 6 in 10 Americans View Abortion as Morally Wrong

NEW HAVEN, Conn., —Four decades after the Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion throughout the United States, a new KofC-Marist Poll shows that more than 8 in 10 Americans (83 percent) favor significant restrictions.

The poll reveals that support for significant abortion restrictions has increased by four points since last year—rising from 79 percent to 83 percent.

Of the 83 percent who support significant restrictions on abortion, 10 percent believe abortion should never be permitted; 12 percent believe abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother; 34 percent would restrict abortion only to cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother; and 27 percent would limit abortion to—at most—the first three months of pregnancy.

Just 11 percent would allow abortion at any time, while 6 percent would allow it during the first six months of pregnancy.

“After four decades of legalized abortion in this country, Americans have had ample time to understand that abortion has terrible consequences,” said Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. “They understand abortion’s true legacy—a child loses life, and parents lose a child. And after witnessing the effects of abortion for the past 40 years, Americans are not legally or morally comfortable with that legacy. It is time for our country to chart a new course on this issue—a course that protects both the mother and the child.”

The survey also found that nearly 6 in 10 Americans (58 percent) believe abortion is “morally wrong.” And 84 percent of Americans say laws can protect both mothers and unborn children.

“For years polls have found that Americans divide on labeling themselves as pro-life or pro-choice,” said Lee Miringoff of The Marist Poll. “By asking more detailed questions about their specific views on abortion, we have been able to go beyond those labels to get a more complete picture of what Americans actually think about this issue.”

The newly released survey is the latest in a series of polls commissioned by the Knights of Columbus and conducted by The Marist Institute for Public Opinion. This KofC-Marist Poll data was gathered via a telephone survey of 1,246 adults residing in the continental United States and has a margin of error of ±2.8 percentage points. Data were collected from December 4 through 6, 2012. Additional information is available at www.kofc.org.

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